General
What is "Elegant music?"
A string instrument not involved in Gagaku
What is Shamisen?
Two-word phrase to describe the sound of the Sho
What is "heavenly reverberations"?
Double-headed barrel drums in the Gagaku
What are the Kakko and the Taiko?
Another name for the Koto
What is the Floor Harp?
The only people who were traditionally allowed to listen to Gagaku
Who are the nobles/the emperor's court?
The amount of strings that traditional Kotos have
What is 13?
The amount of pipes the Sho has
What is 17?
The gong of the Gagaku ensemble
What is the Shoko?
Traditional material for Shoko mallets
What is animal horns?
The amount of players in a gagaku orchestra
What is 20 (or so)?
The Biwa's role in the Gagaku orchestra
What is emphasizing the 1st beat of every measure?
They do this to the inside of the hichiriki pipe to protect it from mold/moisture damage
What is Lacquer?
What is keep the steady beat?
This instrument was learned by many young ladies in the Edo period
What is the Shamisen?
The 3 countries that influenced the style of Gagaku
What is China, Korea, and India?
The Koto's role in the Gagaku orchestra
What is embellish the harmonies/reinforce the chords from the biwa?
This flute has a thinner and more delicate tone than its closely-related counterpart
What is the Komabue?
Plays the rhythmically complex patterns
What is the Kakko?
The English AND Japanese names for the pick used to play the Biwa and Shamisen
What is a plectrum/bachi?
The 4 terms for 1) instrumental gagaku, 2) gagaku for dancing, 3) gagaku with lyrics/poetry, and 4) ceremonial music
Kangen, Bugaku, Kayo, Kagura
String instrument category the Biwa belongs to
What is lute?
The Middle Eastern instrument that the Hichiriki evolved from
What is the Balaban?
The halfway point of every Gagaku drum pattern, emphasized by the Taiko
What is the obachi?
Where the percussion instruments are positioned in the Gagaku orchestra